Cllr Barry Rawlings, the Leader of Barnet Council, has joined with other London local authority leaders calling upon the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to ensure that the recommendations of the Government-commissioned investigation into the Windrush Scandal are implemented.

The Windrush scandal has been so called as it has involved the mistreatment of the ‘Windrush generation’ of West Indian migrants in the 40s and 50s who came to this country when the UK needed labour to rebuild after the Second World War.  The name recalls the Empire Windrush ship that brought more than 800 hundred West Indian migrants to the UK.

Despite having lived here for decades and now being elderly, and having worked, volunteered, raised families and paid taxes, members of the Windrush generation have been denied healthcare, faced detention and even deported.

The investigation, led by Independent Expert Wendy Williams CBE, whose day-to-day role is HM Inspector of Constabulary and HM Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services, reported three years ago. However, not all of its recommendations have been implemented yet. Some of the outstanding recommendations include:

• A full apology to members of the Windrush generation who have been affected
• Introduce a Migrants Commissioner who will advocate for migrants’ rights
• To run reconciliation events where victims of the Windrush scandal will be heard
• The Home secretary should regularly report to Parliament on progress on implementing the recommendations

The letter, collated by leader of Ealing Council Peter Mason, states:

While we will celebrate this summer, we also remember the injustices faced by the Windrush Generation on arrival in the UK and through to the present day, at the hands of landlords, the Home Office, and employers.

As leaders, we, like so many, watched with dismay as many of the Windrush Generation were subjected to actions taken by the Government that led to them being denied healthcare and other essential services, being wrongfully detained and even in some cases deported from the country they helped to build.

They had no reason to doubt their status, or that they belonged in the UK, and they did not deserve to suffer these indignities. It is in that spirit that we ask the Government you lead to restore the faith and trust of the Windrush Generation and their descendants in our government and institutions.

We must acknowledge these wrongs, however unintended, and commit to taking the steps that ensure such a situation is never repeated.

Councillor Barry Rawlings said: “The Windrush Generation have given so much to this country. They not only rebuilt it but also reshaped it, helping to create the relative prosperity and culturally rich society we see today – all while facing the barriers of racism in employment, housing and – to be candid – safety.

“To be told in their golden years this country will not support them, and – in some cases – insist they leave, has been a moral outrage. The least the Government can do is implement the recommendations of the report it commissioned, so we can treat these heroes of Britain with the respect and dignity they deserve.”